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Harsh call or progressive step? Analyzing reasons behind Sanju Samson's India A omission

Aashay Chopade

Sanju Samson for India (Source: AFP)Sanju Samson for India (Source: AFP)

India is a country with truckloads of cricket talent, so even in the India A teams, there is a lot of competition for the spots. The selectors recently announced the India A squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa A.

Tilak Varma is the captain of the side, while there are many other talented players who have played for India or on the selection radar for the senior team. However, one big name is missing from the team, and that is Sanju Samson. The wicketkeeper batter is currently in the T20I side and scored a century when he last played an ODI for India.

Still, Prabhsimran Singh and Ishan Kishan have been preferred over him in the India A squad. The other three wicketkeepers - Dhruv Jurel, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant would be playing Test cricket against South Africa. So, why is Sanju Samson finding it tough to even break into the India A ODI squad? Let's find out.

Not Playing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024/25

The Vijay Hazare Trophy is the premier 50-over trophy in India, and it has always been very important for the selection in the senior ODI side. Almost all the players who have been selected in the India A squad scored tons of runs in the last edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

However, Sanju Samson did not play the entire Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024/25 despite not being involved with any other cricket commitments. He opted out of the preparatory camp before the tournament, and it did not go well with KSCA; they decided to leave him out for the entire tournament. 

It has hurt Samson's ODI chances quite badly, putting questions over his commitment to domestic cricket, and other players seized the opportunity in his absence.

India A - Platform to groom young players

The A tours have always been a platform to groom young players and try out the potential future stars of Indian cricket. Sanju Samson is now 30 years old and has been around for a long time, so selectors seem to be keen to try out younger wicketkeepers in the India A squad.

Prabhsimran Singh and Ishan Kishan, the two wicketkeepers selected in the India A squad, are 25 and 27 years old, respectively. Also, all the players in the India A squad are in their 20s, which shows that the emphasis is on picking younger players to keep the long-term future secure.

Ishan Kishan - A proven performer, Prabhsimran - Rising star

Ishan Kishan has done well for India in the past and was part of the 2023 World Cup squad. He has not played international cricket for almost two years now because of the break he took on the South Africa tour. However, he is now back playing domestic cricket regularly, and selectors are finally keen to bring him into the national selection radar.

He also recently scored a big hundred in the Ranji Trophy and is slowly getting back to his best. The other wicketkeeper, Prabhsimran Singh, has been very consistent in domestic cricket and has a List A average of 43.51, which is way more than Samson's List A average of 33.85.

Prabhsimran also did well for India A against Australia A with a century in the decider, and so has been preferred over Samson against South Africa too. Therefore, to get into the selection radar of ODI cricket, Sanju Samson needs to play domestic cricket consistently and score big runs.